The Issue Of Police Brutality

Police brutality is seen as a real problem in America today. What people do not seem to realize is that the police carry a massive burden each day. The work that officers do has the potential to be very demanding and sometimes involves dangerous situations. In these situations the officers are in the position where they may be required to use force to gain control. The continuum of force dictates the level that is most appropriate for the situation. Most people do not realize that is not the officers job the meet the force. However, it is their job to overcome the force. Police departments have very strict standard operating procedures about officer use force and how force is applied. With this paper, I will attempt to explain the continuum of force, police discretion, and why the police can do some of the things they do.

“I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe!” These were the last words of Eric Garner, a middle-aged African American man. Garner died at the hands of multiple police officers who were trying to restrain him for selling cigarettes. These sorts of images are showcased on television way too often. To the point that some people feel helpless, they know that they alone do not have the power to overthrow the superiority of an officer. So they have really no choice but watch the tragedy unfold. Also fear that if they interfere, that they may be the next victim. “I am most struck by the behavior of the EMTs, who stood along with the police and did nothing as they watched Eric Garner die” (Williams 10). Although some people deny that police brutality is a problem, recent studies and events (such as the one listed above) prove that ultra-aggressive police officers, militarization of police agencies, and the effects of racism have increased police brutality.

The contemporary social problem I would like to conduct sociological research on is the use of excessive force used by members of the police department in recent unconscionable shootings of unarmed civilians. With all the recent attention that the people of Ferguson Missouri and New York City have been able to rise on this issue, making it a media sensation, it seemed like a good topic to discuss. Police brutality is an egregious, ongoing problem in our society that, until just recently, has been accepted as a sad fact of life by the people it affects and is largely ignored by the rest of society, including politicians and the mass media. Police brutality affects the people that society has come to stigmatize such as minorities, the mentally ill and impoverished people, more so than the well off or middle to upper class white people.

In recent years and in light of recent tragedies, police actions, specifically police brutality, has come into view of a large, public and rather critical eye. The power to take life rests in the final stage of the criminal justice system. However, the controversy lies where due process does not. While the use of deadly force is defined and limited by departmental policies, it remains an act guided chiefly by the judgment of individual officers in pressure situations. (Goldkamp 1976, 169). Many current studies have emphasized the racial disparities in minority deaths, primarily black Americans, killed by police through means of deadly force. The history of occurrences reveals the forlorn truth that police reforms only receive attention in wake of highly publicized episodes of police misconduct. The notorious 1992 Los Angeles riots brought the matter to mass public attention and prompted improved law enforcement policy. Significant local reforms resulted, for instance, ending the policy of lifetime terms for police chiefs. Additionally, on a broader platform, in 1994, Congress approved provisions to the Crime Control Act in effort to tackle police abuse in a more structured way.

A young man’s brutal death at the hands of the police is found justified in a court of law due to his “suspicious” appearance: a black hoodie and his hands in his pocket. An elderly woman is fatally shot in her home for her relation to a suspected criminal. A married man with two toddlers is choked to death after a minor traffic stop by an officer who later claimed that his unarmed victim was wielding a gun. These people all have a few commonalities: the color of their skin, their presumed guilt at first sight, and their ultimate unjustified death administered by the law force. These are not uncommon occurrences. Due to the staggeringly disproportionate rate of African-Americans killed by the police, and the underlying rampant racial profiling, police brutality towards blacks in America must be called to light.

When certain states in America reach a stage in which someone, typically a minority, has to fear the possibility that they might not leave with their life whenever they are pulled over or interrogated by a police officer, an issue with our police system is clear. When an officer in America charged with a crime of assault or murder has a miniscule chance of those charges being pressed, the problem is even clearer. This issue is significant police misconduct, especially in states such as Chicago, that calls for a reform in the police department’s code, recruiting, training, and procedure. The alarming amount of unchecked police transgressions has evidenced a primitive lack of value for human life in the U.S. that in some states, make simply

Discuss whether you believe there is a problem with police brutality in America. What are potential solutions to reducing police use of force and brutality?

Police brutality is still persistent and is one of the most crucial human rights violations in the United States. Over years, police officers have acted in ways that have made individuals wonder if they are doing their job correctly with proper procedures. Unjustified shootings, beatings, fatal chocking’s, and abusive treatment have all contributed to the present dilemma of police brutality. Most of these cases go unreported, unnoticed, or have been dealt with injustice.

Killings among young men of color has risen in these past few years during altercations with the police. African-American and Latin-American men are dying for reasons such as rush of judgement and possible acts of racism. These acts that are being committed are considered the term of police brutality. Police officers seem to be shooting unarmed men of color as the ultimate solution when being confronted with these altercations. These three examples I will provide will show how many young minority men are being killed at unprecedented rates across America.

The poor man lurches towards the nest, a blood trail left by the cut in his foot wanders behind the fellow. His stomach stirs up in a fit, he hasnt eaten in a few days. Footsteps echo throughout the corridor, drowsey the man confuses his own footsteps for those of the creature that defends this cavern. A cold air grazes his neck as he waits to see if the his ears have mistaken something else for the creatures footstep, all is silent only his breath pierces the air. A pidder padder rears it head, the sound of clomping crashes into the man 's eardrums as he begins to shake in fear. Chilled to his core he anticipates the worst, but yet in a surprising relief the

During these passed three years police brutality, racial tension, and gender issues have been hot topics in the media. On Twitter specifically, articles and hash-tags about police brutality and its victims spread like wildfire. With the running of Hilary Clinton for president and the transition of Caitlyn Jenner, women’s rights and the LGBTA+ community were thrown into the mix of political issues spoken about on the news and presidential debates. Not only are the United States’ citizens talking about race relations and gender issues, but the entire world is discussing these issues. In many places, discrimination and violent acts are committed against gender and racial minorities without punishment. In a world of injustice and chaos, random

The use of excessive force by police officers is a topic that continues to make headlines and a study that needs to be done. Although much research has gone into this topic there still is no consensus on why the use of excessive force occurs. Some studies suggest lack of training and/or problems with organization policy/procedures. Law enforcement officers are authorized to use force when necessary, but when the level of force is excessive, however, the actions of the police come under scrutiny. The resulting effects can include; public outrage, scandal, negative reputation for not only the officer but the law enforcement community, and criminal considerations. Although there’s is no concrete definition of excessive force, police

We need to take legal action as well. The best way to hurt police brutality is by hitting them in the pocket. If the police keep on getting sued for brutality they’ll be forced to deal with the issue. Every incident of police brutality should be reported to both the government and the media.

As stated by Stan Lee, the author of Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility.” This statement however, does not only apply to the superheroes in the comic books whom have supernatural powers, it also can relate to the everyday super hero’s such as law enforcement officers. However, police brutality has been a social issue in the United States for quite some time now and is only rapidly getting worse rather than improving. With the news channels and social media exploiting videos of law enforcement officers using forceful tactics but not showing the prior encounters of the individual, it suggests the officer is unjustifiably using force. However, with the epidemic of citizen outrage by the misconception of police

Human society is not perfect. Any institution people establish has definite flaws. They say to err is human. Thus, people experience problems caused my human mistakes in the government, schools, health care establishments, police etc. Yet, some problems are widely discussed by the public and others are kept in the background. The problem of police brutality is one of the issues people are reluctant to lay upon the tapis. At least, those people who are in charge of police. The main purposes of police officers are to protect and to serve. It is the official slogan written on police stations and police vehicles. Sadly, nowadays this slogan is less popular than the term “police brutality”. The Law Dictionary defines